Headlamp bulb change
My son’s 2013 Audi A4 2.0 TDI S-line Black Edition with 38,000 miles has recently blown its nearside headlamp bulb. He approached Halfords for a replacement bulb to be fitted, but they refused the work, saying it was an Audi-only specialist job.
I rang our nearest Audi dealer, which quoted more than £170 for the bulb and 1.5 hours’ labour, making a total of £387.44. A local Audi non-dealer specialist quoted £80 for the bulb plus £24 labour, saying it would probably take about 20 minutes. It also warned that if the light colouring was noticeably different from the other lamp then that also would need to be changed before the next MOT.
We have now watched a Youtube video by the owner of the same model replacing the Xenon bulbs with a pair from Amazon costing £40. The driver’s side headlamp unit had to be removed by unscrewing two upper bolts and slackening two lower bolts, while the plastic apron was removed by undoing four plastic pins. The whole job took about 15 minutes and my son and I are confident of being able to do it ourselves.
We accept that the quality of bulbs may not be as good and may not last as long as the original parts, but we would be prepared to accept the one-year warranty given with these bulbs and having to replace them more regularly. It appears that these bulbs use up their useful lifetime quicker than most.
Have you any advice on our plan to replace these bulbs ourselves and could you recommend a particular brand of replacement bulb? Alan Forshaw
Having also watched the video, I'm sure the job is one you should be able to undertake with ease. There are a few safety precautions that should be observed when dealing with Xenon bulbs. As with halogen bulbs, the glass should not be touched with bare hands – the acids present on skin will burn into the bulb when the bulb heats up. Also, you should never attempt to illuminate the bulb out of the housing. The recommendation is to disconnect the vehicle battery when replacing the bulbs, as this will negate the possibility of the high voltage operating system being activated during the process.
Bulbs are available in different temperature ranges, each of which gives a different colour light output. According to the data I have, your son’s Audi should be fitted with 42V 35W D3S bulbs. Be aware that if the wrong bulb is fitted then there is a possibility it will not operate. There is a wide range of bulbs available from Osram and Philips, among others, and it’s a matter of finding the bulb that best suits your needs.